The Man in the Void: Short Stories
by GalacticSkelly
Summary: This is a a bunch of short stories that take place in my The Man in the Void universe. I hope you enjoy them!
1. Under the Mistletoe

Summary: The King always threw elaborate parties for the entire underground to attend. His Gyftmas party was no different. With everyone dressed up in their most elegant formal wear with food and drinks provided by guests, It seemed like a normal party. With the exception of magic mistletoe.

This was a gift-fic for the person I've been role-playing this story out with! They really enjoyed it and so I figured I would post it here. It's also on AO3 if you want to check it out there too! I used the same pen name there as well.

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Sans huffed as Papyrus forced a suit for Asgore's Gyftmas party onto his lap, causing him to sigh and slowly stand with the suit. It was a tradition for the King to invite everyone to the castle for food and drink as they gave gifts and shared in their own wishes for the next year. Sans's was always the same; he just wanted everyone to live. It was also tradition for the matchmaking king to try to get two monsters together by way of inconveniently placed mistletoe; magic mistletoe that didn't allow the two monsters unluckily stuck under it to move until they kissed.

Skelly ran downstairs in a long purple dress that drug the ground, her shoulders covered with a cloak made of a black fabric with a galaxy type print on the interior. Her hair was perfectly curled and cascaded down her back while her face looked just as it normally did, with winged eyeliner and black lipstick. She had been to one of Asgore's parties before this one, a Halloween party, dressing up as what most humans believed mages looked like. Papyrus had helped with her robes.

"AHHH YOU LOOK MAGNIFICENT! DOES SHE NOT LOOK BEAUTIFUL SANS?" Papyrus asked, causing Skelly to blush and sit down to pull her shoes on. Sans looked over at her and froze, nodding in agreeance with his younger brother. He almost wished he could get that damned asshole Royal Scientist to leave her alone so he could have a shot.

"Oh, come on Papy, I'm not that pretty. There are plenty of monsters prettier than I am. Mettaton is remarkably more beautiful than I am." She spoke softly, pulling her boots on and walking into the kitchen to grab the dessert Asgore had requested she bring. Figuring out which one to make had been torture.

When she first got the letter from Asgore that she was supposed to make something to bring, she was excited. But then looking through her cookbooks, she couldn't decide on what to make for the party. Frustrated, she made the first thing she always made when she just wanted to cook: tiramisu.

After having Papyrus and Sans taste the Italian dessert, they both deemed it good enough for the King's party. She even took a bite of it to Grillby, the flame bartender who had given her an actual job, and a bite to Muffet, the spider monster who had also given her a job. Muffet liked it so much that she asked for the recipe and began selling it at her bakery. She got a small share of the profits but she normally gave them back to the spiders' by buying treats.

Papyrus straightened up his own orange tie as Sans walked down the stairs dressed in... A painted t-shirt that resembled a tux with a pair of black pants and his slippers. Papyrus turned to help Sans with his tie then gasped in audible shock, putting his white gloved hands on his hipbones.

"SANS THIS IS A FORMAL EVENT! WOULD IT KILL YOU TO WEAR THE TUXEDO?" Papyrus ranted as Sans nodded, sitting back down on the couch. "I HIGHLY DOUBT THAT YOU WOULD DIE FROM WEARING FORMAL CLOTHES FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE. YOU KNOW THAT THE KING WOULD WANT YOU TO WEAR YOUR BEST CLOTHING FOR THIS. YOU KNOW WHAT HE LIKES TO DO AT THIS PARTY."

"how do you know paps? i could. never know what could happen." Sans smiled as Papyrus yelled and threw his hands up into the air just as she stepped out with the dessert. "is that the fancy coffee dessert?"

"Yeah and you can't have any until the party. And even then, you won't have any if you don't put on your suit like Papy asked you to nicely." Sans glared playfully at her before huffing and standing.

"fine... just for you. but you owe me a dance." Skelly smiled and patted his skull as he left, Papyrus huffing and crossing his arms over his ribcage.

"HE THINKS THAT TOMFOOLERY WILL GET THE EYE OF ANY GIRL. IT IS NO WONDER THAT FATHER IS WINNING HIS ATTEMPTS TO COURT YOU." Skelly blushed and set the dessert down to smack Papyrus's arm. Papyrus himself was smiling brilliantly, causing her to blush even more, red dusting her cheeks.

"PAPYRUS! You stop that. He is not winning. I'm in no mental state to be in a relationship with anyone. No matter how much they try." She answered somewhat honestly, Sans pausing at the top of the stairs out of sight when he heard that. "Besides... Sans isn't my type. Yes, I love him but like a brother or a close friend. And I don't think that Sans really likes me. I think it's more of... He sees Gaster trying and decided that he would try as well to best the old man." She spoke honestly, shrugging and pulling her gloves on.

She wasn't completely honest with Papryus; Gaster had definitely been chipping away at the walls she had built around her heart and she... Kind of liked the feeling. No one on the surface had ever made her feel the way Gaster did.

Sans looked down, his permanent smile shifting into a frown. Well she was right; he was only trying to be better than the jerk that called himself their father and it seemed like winning the heart of the girl that had stolen his was the only option to break him down.

"...Besides...Your father is a good man... And if I was looking for someone, it would be someone like him. He's smart, funny, attractive...He makes a girl feel special..." She blushed as Papyrus laughed, smiling brightly. "Oh, shut up. So, what if he is getting to me a little? How can he not? He's sending me flowers and walking me to and from work so I'm not alone at night." Papyrus smiled and straightened her necklace, looking down at her.

"YOU KNOW I WILL LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHO YOU CHOSE. YOU ARE PART OF THE FAMILY NOW." She smiled and hugged him, sighing softly as he hugged back and smiled. "BESIDES, IF YOU DATE MY FATHER, YOU WILL BE MY MOTHER-SISTER!" She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up from her throat, laying her head on him.

"I'm going to go ahead. You get sans ready." Papyrus nodded as she turned to grab the dish she had prepared before leaving the house. Sans had gone up to his room, dressing in his suit which is where Papyrus found him.

She arrived at the castle shortly, smiling and waving to a few customers she knew from the shops she worked at before moving to find Asgore. It was already crowded and the actual party hadn't even started, but the king stood out—and over—everyone. She made her way through the crowd, handing him the dessert which he took with one hand, pulling her into a hug with the other.

"Ah my friend! I am very glad you could make it. Come with me so we can put your dessert out for others to enjoy." She smiled and nodded, hugging him back awkwardly as she only came up to his hips. "I believe my brother was searching for you earlier." She blushed a little at the mention of Gaster, the Royal Scientist, smiling a little.

"Was he really or is this another one of your schemes to get us together?" Asgore said nothing, only confirming it in her mind. She sighed, shaking her head and taking her dessert back from Asgore. "What is it with you and Papyrus playing match-maker? I sweat if Alphys gets in on this, I may throw myself into the lava of Hotlands." Asgore was used to her style of joking by now so he just waved her off, his cheeks a slight pink.

"He's in the kitchen making his snack. Even though he doesn't eat anything, he's a wonderful chef but I fear appetizers are not his best." She nodded and headed off to the kitchen, stopping and talking to a few party-goers before eventually taking her coat off and hanging it up at the nearest coat rack with her gloves in the pockets. She finally made her way into the kitchen, watching Gaster at the oven, checking on his appetizers before setting her container of tiramisu down on the island.

Gaster soon pulled the oven open, sighing and flipping through the cookbook before huffing and setting the tray of slightly burnt mushrooms down. She slowly walked over to him, picking up a toothpick and stabbing a juicy stuffed cap before munching on it. He watched her eat before she swallowed it, grabbing a glass of water.

"Well it's... certainly salty. And uh... burnt..." She drank the water, looking at him. "But I've made these before and I... can help if you want me to?" Asgore peeked in, giving a thumbs-up to Gaster who simply smiled and nodded at her offer. "Come on...Let's see that recipe." She moved to take the book from him, moving to stand beside him. They began cooking, Asgore leaving the two alone.

After a while, a perfect batch of stuffed mushrooms were cooling on the serving tray while she and Gaster washed the dishes they had dirtied. "I... want to thank you... I am not used to making appetizers... Or food in general... But I do love to cook so perhaps we can cook together sometime." She smiled and nodded, bumping against him.

"Well Asgore did say that appetizers weren't really your expertise. And... I'd love to." She smiled, moving to grab her dessert and plate it so people could take a miniature cup of the dessert to eat. Gaster grabbed the tray and held it up, carrying both of them.

However, as they both walked through the kitchen door, they both froze, unable to move from their spot as Asgore walked by and took both of the trays from Gaster. "So sorry dear brother but it seems you're here until you fulfill the requirements of the mistletoe." The king left as she froze, looking upwards just as Gaster did.

"Of course, he would do this at this party." Gaster sighed deeply, looking down at her. "The King has... magic mistletoe that forced the pair to stay in one place until they... do what has to be done. It appears we are stuck here until we kiss." She gulped, looking away and frowning. It wasn't that she didn't want to kiss the skeleton. No no, it was what she was afraid would happen afterwards.

She was afraid she wouldn't be able to stop.

Gaster slowly leaned down and moved to brush her hair back out of her face before cupping her cheek and just as their lips were about to brush, Papyrus burst into the hallway with a loud bang as the door hit the wall. She jerked back away from him, flushing brightly as Asgore's voice called out from the party. "Papyrus leave those two alone! They're under the mistletoe."

"OH, I AM TERRIBLY SORRY! I WAS SIMPLY COMING TO SEE WHERE MS. SKELLY WAS. HAVE FUN BUT NOT TOO MUCH FUN! I WOULD NOT LIKE A BABY BROTHER OR SISTER YET." She could only groan and cover her face with her hands while Gaster simply did the same, blushing a light lavender. Papyrus left after waving and bidding them a farewell which left Skelly and Gaster alone yet again.

He tried once more, moving to take her hands this time just as a lightbulb burst, causing the light to dim in the small hallway. Gaster cleared his throat, trying not to seem nervous but in the low light, he could see how her eyes shined and this only served to make him even more flustered. "We should... Just get this over with. N-not that I-I don't want to kiss you! I do! But this... Is not how I imagined it..." Gaster admitted softly causing her to rub his hands with hers.

"Y-yeah... I mean... Wait you've imagined kissing me?" Gaster just froze, looking away from her.

Without a warning, she reached up and pulled him down, kissing him quickly but sweetly. He barely had time to register the kiss before she was leaving the doorway—and him—just as quickly with a bright blush on her face. He was frozen, a shaky hand reaching up to touch his lips before smiling a little and moving to continue with the party.


	2. Skelesmooches

This is a Valentine's short story in my The Man in the Void series. I really hope you enjoy it. Comments and reviews are welcomed! Also if you have a holiday you'd like to see me do, write a review and tell me what the holiday is!

Summary: February 14th. The worst day in human and monster history. How was she going to last through the day with two skeletons vying for her attention? Will her friendships last through heartbreak? Will Gaster get a chance to admit his attraction? But more importantly... Will Papyrus ever tell Mettaton he has a crush on the flamboyant robot?!

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She woke up one morning and felt a stirring deep in her soul, looking over at miniature calendar that Papyrus had gotten her and the clock Sans had found in the dump—the tall skelebrother found she hated not knowing what day it was when she woke up from her time in the Circle jails and Sans knew she didn't sleep many nights from nightmares, a clock helped keep track of the time—and what she saw made a queasy feeling rise in her gut as she saw the date.

February 14: the worst day in all of history.

Sighing and throwing her blankets over her face, she considered going back to sleep. Sleep could always be the answer, couldn't it? She knew that Sans would agree with that thought... Just as she was drifting back to sleep, Papyrus threw the door open, carrying in a tray of breakfast foods. Pancakes and syrup piled high on the plate with bacon from her case were balanced on the tray with a cup of coffee and orange juice.

"SISTER! YOU MUST GET UP!" She groaned loudly, slowly taking the blanket off her face and slowly sat up, sitting her pillows behind her as Papyrus set the tray on her lap. "I HAVE MADE YOUR FAVORITES. USING THE COOKBOOK YOU GAVE ME!" She smiled a little, looking over at Papyrus.

"Aww... Thank you Papy." When he leaned down, she kissed him on the cheekbone, causing him to blush a pale orange and laugh. "You're such a sweetheart. Mettaton will be a lucky robot one day~" She teased, smiling a little more as he blushed even darker, moving to cover his face with his red gloved hands.

"STOP THIS TEASING. WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE IT?" He whined, causing her to laugh, patting the spot beside her. He reluctantly sat down, pouting as much as he could for a naturally smiling skeleton.

"I'm sorry Papy. You know I love you." She smiled and leaned against him, beginning to slowly eat. "Besides, no one could love you more than I do. Not even Mettaton. Gaster probably does." Papyrus smiled and stole a piece of bacon, humming a little.

"FATHER WANTED TO TAKE YOU ON A DATE TONIGHT. SANS TOLD HIM A BAD WORD THEN SLAMMED THE DOOR IN HIS FACE." She sighed once Papyrus said this, taking another bite of the fluffy pancakes. "I TOLD HIM TO CALL ME AND ASK FOR YOU. I CAN SEE HE REALLY LIKES YOU!"

"Yeah, I'm sure he does but... I know Sans doesn't. He's just trying to show up his dad... And I'm not going to be used like that." Papyrus frowned a little, looking down at her.

"HOW ARE YOU CERTAIN THAT SANS DOES NOT LIKE YOU?" She just shrugged, looking up at him with syrup on her lips before licking it off. "I AM FAIRLY CERTAIN IF YOU JUST GIVE HIM A CHANCE..."

"Papyrus, he doesn't like me. I don't think he'll ever like me truly. I'll probably just... Sneak out so he doesn't see me and spend my time in Waterfall or something..." She finished up the pancakes, sighing happily as Papyrus stole another piece of bacon. "You know you can have the bacon. I'm full. You made too much food Papyrus." He smiled brightly, picking up the tray after climbing off the bed.

"SHOULD I CALL FATHER? YOU COULD SPEND TODAY WITH HIM!" Papyrus suggested, causing her to smile a little. Ever since Asgore's Christmas party, she hadn't seen much of the Royal Scientist... Which she was a little saddened by. She liked spending time with him. He was kind of dorky—which she liked—and he was kind of cute for a skeleton.

"...Yeah... I'd like that. Thank you Papy. Just don't tell Sans." Papyrus smiled and nodded, leaving the room to allow her to get dressed for the day. She could faintly hear Papyrus and Sans talking, looking at the window before opening it and climbing out, dropping down off the windowsill to the snowy ground below. Luckily, she had grabbed her coat before sneaking out. She sighed and started off towards Waterfall, walking right past the Royal Scientist's house.

She heard the door open as she walked by and soon the tall skeleton was walking beside her, silent.

They got to Waterfall, the trek silent other than snow crunching under their boots. Finally, as they reached the crystal room, she stopped and sat down against the wall, waiting for Gaster to slowly ease down next to her. Finally, he did so, stretching his bad leg out in front of him. She just looked up at the crystals, sighing softly.

"...Do you miss the stars? I mean... I know you've been on the surface just recently... But do you miss them?" Gaster finally asked after a while of silence, causing her to look over at him. He was looking up at the stars with a saddened expression, almost frowning.

"...I do... I loved sitting on roofs and looking up at the stars... And laying out in fields just to watch meteor showers... no matter how cold it was..." He chuckled at that, laying his head back against the wall as she laughed a little as well. "That's probably why I was always sick." He laughed more, smiling now.

"When we... Were still on the surface, I loved looking at the stars... Asgore would probably say I spent most of my time staring up at the sky with my head in the clouds... He'd be right; he always is." She smiled a little, wrapping her coat around her and pulling her gloves up onto her hands. He looked over at her, looking down at her hands. "You always wear those..."

"Oh... Yeah Asgore wants me to... He thinks my hand might scare monsters down here. They don't have any reason to be worried; I'd never hurt anyone down here... Except Sans. But then it'd be just a slap." He snorted at that, looking away from her. "...I know he's just trying to hurt you by trying to get me... But no one understands what I went through... No one will ever understand..." He looked back at her, looking genuinely shocked.

"I... Assumed he liked you... That is why I've been staying away." She just shook her head, looking down at her hands. "What the actual fuck? He knows I already beat myself up for all the shit I've put them through; he doesn't have to pull you into it. You've done nothing to deserve this bullshit treatment." He pulled his phone out, thumbs tapping furiously at the keypad before huffing; she opened her mouth to speak but soon closed it, watching in amusement. "Of course, the little rat has me blocked."

"Dr. Gaster?"

"And of course Papyrus would answer his phone but he could tell I'm upset so he wouldn't give the phone to Sans so I could curse him to high heavens." There was more tapping as he growled, causing her to look up at him.

"Doctor Gaster."

"And Asgore wouldn't agree with my anger! Which I don't fucking know why he wouldn't. He raised the little shithead. Sans can't help but bring that up EVERY FUCKING OPPORTUNITY HE CAN."

Finally, she had enough, looking at him. "GASTER!" He stopped his ranting, looking at her. "It's okay... Calm down." He frowned a little, looking at her before shaking his head.

"It's not... It's not okay. He shouldn't use someone to get back at me. Especially someone like you... I know you've gone through a lot of stuff... And he shouldn't use anyone to make me mad or hurt me." She looked at him before slowly looking down at her hands and taking her gloves off to stretch skeletal fingers. When she arrived down here, it had only been her left hand but as she used her magic and trained with Papyrus, her right hand had slowly begun turning. "...You're a necromancer..."

She nodded, looking down at her hands. "Yeah... Have been for ages. Since I was five... When they found out I was one then... Stuff happened. That's all I want to say." He slowly nodded before standing up with a crack and a pop.

"Come on. Let me... Take you home. Make you some food?" He offered a hand, causing her to look up. "And even if you don't want food we can... Watch a movie or something?" His cheekbones turned a light lavender as she slowly took his hand, pulling herself up.

"Alright. But only because I really want to see the inside of your house." He laughed as she smiled, putting her gloves into the pockets of her coat before pulling it on. He moved to help her, causing her to blush a little which caused him to chuckle and offer his hand again. "Now how do I know you won't be sneaky and teleport us there?"

"...You got me." She laughed as he smiled a little, starting to walk back towards his house. "You've never been to my house before. I just realized that."

"Yeah. Sans won't even let me leave the house without a body guard. He said that 'that sick freak of a scientist might experiment on you.' I'm assuming he means you because Alphys is pretty nice." Gaster's face fell a little when she said this, frowning. "But I mean... I don't feel scared of you." He stopped walking, looking down as she looked up at him. "Doctor Gaster?..."

"You aren't scared of me?" He asked softly as she shook her head, smiling a little.

"No. You've given me no reason to be afraid of you and... I actually like spending time with you." She smiled and put a hand on his arm, looking up at him with a soft smile. He slowly nodded and smiled a little, starting to walk again as she looped her arm through his. His face was a light lavender as she smiled up at him. "And... I've got to admit... I like how you look when you blush. That's why I say things that make you blush."

He blushed even more at the admittance, his face turning a darker shade of purple as she laughed and shook her head. "That was very mean. Teasing me like that." He spoke, looking at her with a grin as she laughed even more. "Come on. Let's take a shortcut." She smiled and nodded, holding onto his arm.

"Alright fine. I guess a shortcut wouldn't hurt." He grinned and grabbed onto her before teleporting to his front step, opening the door for her. "Oh, such a gentleman~" She teased, smiling and stepping in after kicking the snow off her boots. She took her coat off, not even being able to hang it before he had grabbed it from her, hanging it and offering her his arm.

"Come. I want to show you something." She smiled and followed him, letting him lead her through the house. She barely got a chance to look around before he was leading her into a massive room filled with instruments of every kind. "I've been collecting these for years... I want to play you something." She gasped a little and looked at him, watching him sit down at the grand piano in the center of the room.

"Alright... If you want to play something, who am I to say no?" She smiled and sat down beside him, leaning against him as he began to play a beautiful piano piece. Gaster's fingers glided across the ivory keys while she closed her eyes and just enjoying the music he was playing for her. "This is beautiful Gaster... How did you learn to play?"

"I taught myself. I know how to play all of these instruments; I love music... It's kept me sane all these years." He smiled and continued to play as she sighed softly, relaxing against him. "I haven't played for anyone in years... Thank you for letting me play for you..." The song slowed down to a stop as she opened her eyes, looking up at him.

"Oh, I love listening to music. I'll listen to anything you want to play. I'd love to learn." He smiled brightly and began playing again, letting her lean against him. He played music for her for a long while, lunchtime coming around and going. By the time he stopped, dinner had come and she slowly stood, stretching.

"Let me cook you dinner. It was my fault that Papyrus couldn't cook you lunch and dinner." Gaster offered his hand again, smiling softly as she slowly took it, nodding. "What's your favorite meal?"

"My... Favorite?" He nodded, smiling softly as she looked down. "I really like Shepard's Pie but I don't know if the Underground has the stuff to make that." He hummed a little, frowning. "But you can make anything you like. I'll eat anything."

"How about macaroni and cheese? I can imagine you're quite tired of spaghetti." She laughed a little, looking down and nodding. She really was tired of spaghetti.

"It's a date then." His smile fell into a look of shock and she walked out of the music room, looking around the household that she could see. She eventually found the kitchen, looking around and humming softly. He quickly shook the shock off and teleported into the kitchen, grabbing her shoulders.

"Did you... Mean that?"

"Huh? What? Did I mean that it was a date? Um... Yeah I did... Consider this your first date with me." He practically lit up, picking her up and spinning around as he laughed and hugged her. "AHHH! What are you doing?"

"I'm just... I'm happy. I've wanted a chance with you ever since I first saw you and now... I get that opportunity. So thank you." She smiled and patted his cheekbone as he set her down, causing her to clear her throat.

"And... You know if you play your cards right, you might... Get a kiss." He lit up even more, grinning widely before whirling away to make dinner. After dinner was ate and laughs had from the jokes he told, he walked her home, Sans glaring out the window of his room. "Thank you Doctor Gaster. I've had... A lot of fun today. Thank you for being my Valentine."

"Please... Call me Gaster. And... It's still... Not over." He pulled a single silk rose out of his coat, handing it to her. "I'll love you until this flower wilts..." She blushed heavily, taking it from him before pulling him down to press a soft kiss to his teeth. He blushed a little and wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her closer. She pulled away after a moment, causing him to chase after her lips, a soft frown on his face.

"Thank you for the lovely time Gaster... We should... Do this again sometime. I'll get your number from Papyrus and text you?" He nodded and let her go, smiling as she walked into the house and waved before shutting the door. Papyrus was waiting for her with a wide grin.

"HOW WAS YOUR DATE SISTER-MOTHER?"


End file.
